Alderman Ginger Rugai (19th) has proposed a two-year cut-off for brutality charges against police officers. Citing the case of Commander Jon Burge and two other detectives facing departmental charges for torturing a black prisoner in 1982, she says she is concerned about ”fairness” to police officers.
Her concern is misplaced. Given the incompetence of the Office of Professional Standards over the years, police officers in Chicago have been basically immune from discipline for brutality. Ald. Rugai and the entire City Council should be demanding to know why it took so long before these charges finally were brought. She should demand to know why Commander Burge was charged with torturing only one black prisoner instead of the dozens alleged in another OPS report suppressed by Supt. LeRoy Martin (and revealed by a federal court order).
Even at this late date, the police are moving against these detectives only because of the pressure of public outrage. After successfully covering up these cases for more than ten years, the cops are now trying to say they should be let off the hook ”because all this happened so long ago.”
With her misconceived measure, Ald. Rugai risks becoming part of the cover-up.
